Shoe-fastening.



R. E. TAYLOR.

SHOE FASTENING.

APPLICATION FILED J UNE 27. 1916.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

LVi/mm SHOE-FASTENING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

Application filed June 27, 1916. Serial No. 106,210.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT E. TAYLOR, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at The Pas, in the Province of Manitoba and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Fastenings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as Will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to improvements in lacing devices for shoes.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of lacing devices for shoes and to provide a simple, practical and efficient lacing device equipped with lace receiving hooks and adapted particularly for use on ladies shoes and devoid of exterior projections to prevent the shoe fastening from catching in ladies apparel.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lacing device of this character in which the lace receiving portions of the hooks will be arranged in the planes of the connected edges of the side flaps or portions of the shoe so as to exert a direct pull upon the side portions and thereby relieve the foot of any pressure of the metal upon it as is often present with the lacing devices where the shoe laces are arranged on the exterior of the connected side flaps or portions of a shoe.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and pointed out in the claim hereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claim, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a front elevation of a lacing device constructed in accordance with this invention and shown applied to a portion of a shoe,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a pair of the hooks,

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2,

4 is a detail view of one of the hooks,

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view showirfig the hooks arranged exteriorly of the s cc.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawing.

In the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, the shoe lace fastener or lacing device which is designed for use on various styles of shoes, comprises in its construction hooks 1 arranged in pairs and secured to the side flaps or portions 2 of a shoe by eyelets 3 which may be formed integral with the shanks of the hooks 1 as clearly illustrated in Fig. i of the drawings but separate eyelets may of course be employed as shown in Fig. 5. Each hook consists of a shank 5, a bill 6 and a connecting portion or bend 7 in which is arranged the shoe lace 8.

In the arrangement illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive which is designed particularly for use on ladies shoes, the shanks 5 of the hooks are arranged on the outside of the side flaps or connecting portions 2 which are provided at their connected edges with recesses 9 receiving the loop or approximately U-shaped portion of the hook so that the lace receiving bends are arranged in the planes of the side flaps of portions of the shoes so that the strain exerted by the lace on the side portions of the shoe will be in the plane of the said side portions and there .will be no tendency of the lace to cause the hooks to turn or twist and force the metal into the foot or leg of the nvearer. The connecting bends of the hooks are located substantially in the plane or in. the alinement of the edges or portions 10 between the recesses. its terminal portion 12 fitted against the inner face of the side flap or portion of the shoe so that the material of the upper of the shoe closes the hook and retains the lace therein whereby there is no liability of the lace becoming accidentally disconnected from the hooks. The hooks are constructed of highly resilient spring material and while the slight bend shown in the terminal portions of the bills permit the ready engagement of the ShOe lace with the hooks they will not project to any greater extent than ordinary shoe eyes and cause no discomfort The bill of the hook has,

arranged as shown in Figs. 1 to' 3 inclusive the shoe is laced from the inside and may be fastened as rapidly as from the outside and but little practice will be required to lace the shoe interiorly. The hooks may be arranged exteriorly of the shoe and in this arrangement the shanks 13 will be secured to the inner faces of the sides of the shoe and the bills 14 will fit against the outer face of the side portion of the shoe as clearly illustrated'in Fig. 5 of the drawing, recesses 15 being formed in the side edges of the connected portions to receive the-loops or lace engaging portions of the hooks 16. The loops or lace receiving portions of the hooks 16 will be arranged in the planes of the side flaps or connecting portions of the shoe so that the strain will be in the plane of the said side portions and will not cause any twisting of the metallic fastening devices. The recesses which form spaces to receive the lace engaging portions of the hooks permit the lace receiving bendsof the hooks to be arranged in the longitudinal plane of the side edges 10 so that the shoe may be laced as tightly as desired Without the hooks interfering with the close lacing of the shoe.

Vhat is claimed is 2-- In a fastening, the combination with a pair of side flaps provided in their adjacent edges with inwardly extending recesses arranged at spaced intervals, the upper and lower wall of each recess being inclined at the outer portion thereof, a plurality of hooks, said hooks comprising a shank portion, an eyelet in'one terminal of the shank portion, the opposite terminal of the shank being curved downwardly to provide a connecting web which terminates into a bill, said eyelet being secured to the side portion adjacent to and in direct alinement with the rear (wall of the recesses so as to posi- 'ion a position of the shank, bill and connecting web wholly within the plane of the recesses, the terminal of the bill being located adjacent the inner side of the side portion and at a point beyond the rear Walls of the recesses, said inclined upper and lower walls of the recesses permitting of'the insertion of a lace through and between the shank and bills of the hooks.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT E. TAYLOR.

Witnesses:

G. I. BROWN, Gr. MABEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

